Countryside in the M25: London’s urban farms

You don’t have to hoof it to the countryside to spot a sheep—well over a dozen urban farms are dotted across London, many of them free to visit (though donations are, of course, mooo-re than welcome).

Most have petting and/or feeding times, and it’s worth checking the websites for occasional events, especially over the Easter weekend, such as pony rides or sheep shearing. So let the kids feed a gobbling goat or stroke a fluffy bunny at one of these farms in the city.

EAST LONDON

Stepney City Farm

Where: Stepney Way, E1 3DGCost: FREEWebsite:stepneycityfarm.orgWhat: Sheep and goats, guinea pigs and regular pigs, plus a Saturday farmers’ market and the Rural Arts Centre, where you can see potters and woodworkers plying their craft.

Hackney City Farm

Where: 1a Goldsmiths Row, E2 8QACost: FREEWebsite:hackneycityfarm.co.ukWhat: Meet pigs Pepper and Pearl, donkeys Larry and Clover, Gabe the gander and new kids on the block Romeo and Hamlet (born at the end of February). In the shop you can buy freshly laid eggs as well as honey from the farm’s bees.

Mudchute Farm and Park

Where: Pier Street, Isle of Dogs, E14 3HPCost: FREEWebsite:mudchute.orgWhat: Over a hundred animals, including British rare breeds, live at Mudchute; if you’d like to get up close and personal you can book a tour. There’s also a riding school at the farm’s equestrian centre.

Newham City Farm

Where: King George Avenue, E16 3HR (main entrance in Stansfeld Road)Cost: FREEWebsite:activenewham.org.uk/newham-city-farmWhat: Cows, horses and sheep, plus alpacas, rabbits and ferrets. And along with farm-fresh eggs and honey at the shop, you can also buy, er, manure.

Spitalfields City Farm

Where: Buxton Street, E1 5ARCost: FREEWebsite:spitalfieldscityfarm.orgWhat: Meet Bayleaf the donkey and Hamish the pygmy goat at the city farm that’s nearest to the Square Mile. On Saturdays its Wild Club also offers free nature-themed activities for 4- to 12-year-olds.

Wellgate Community Farm

Where: Collier Row Road, Romford, Essex, RM5 2BHCost: FREEWebsite:wellgatefarm.orgWhat: Jesse the Jersey cow and Dingle the Shetland pony share the farm with geese and sheep, goats and guinea pigs. The ‘Spring Babies Weekend’ runs on the 29th and 30th of April and includes farm demonstrations and an egg hunt.

WEST LONDON

Aldenham Country Park

Where: Aldenham Road, Elstree, Radlett, Borehamwood, WD6 3BACost: £3.50 child | £4 adultWebsite:aldenhamcountrypark.co.ukWhat: Alpacas and rabbits, guinea pigs and goats: all the farm favourites are here. You can also feed and pet the animals, and collect eggs as well (for a fee, but you do get to bring home your farm-fresh eggs).

Hounslow Urban Farm

Where: Faggs Road, Feltham, Middlesex, TW14 0LZCost: £6 child | £7.50 adult (under 2s free)Website:hounslowurbanfarm.co.ukWhat: Animal encounters, pig meet and greet, and owl displays are all on offer at this site a stone’s throw from Heathrow. From cuddly chicks to bearded dragons, micro pigs to big goats, with less-common critters such as blue-tongue skink and boa constrictors to gape at as well. Check out The MotherHood’s review of Hounslow Urban Farm.

NORTH LONDON

Freightliners City Farm

Where: Sheringham Road, Islington, N7 8PFCost: FREEWebsite:freightlinersfarm.org.ukWhat: When Freightliners Farm was founded in 1973, it was first located behind King’s Cross station, with the animals housed in railway goods vans—hence the name. Today cattle, chickens, quail and sheep can all be found in the heart of Islington.

Belmont Children’s Farm

Where: The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, NW7 1QTCost: £4 for 18 months to 3 years/£5 for ages 3 to 12 | £7 adultWebsite:belmontfarm.co.ukWhat: Meet and feed more than 30 kinds of animals, and hop on a tractor-trailer ride around the estate.

Forty Hall Farm

Where: Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield, EN1 4RQCost: FREEWebsite: fortyhallfarm.co.uk
Another outpost of Capel Manor College (see Brooks Farm above and Crystal Palace Park Farm below), organic Forty Hall Farm is tucked just inside the M25. This Easter weekend they’ll be open all four days to show off their lambs and a new calf. They’re also holding their first village fête on the 7th of May.

SOUTH LONDON

Deen City Farm & Riding School

Where: 39 Windsor Avenue, Merton Abbey, Merton, SW19 2RRCost: FREEWebsite:deencityfarm.co.ukWhat: Some 200 animals call Deen City Farm home, including Kimby the alpaca, Edna the barn owl and Iggy the pony, plus ferrets, pigs and bunnies. The farm is a hop away from the National Trust’s Morden Hall Park, which is also free to enter and which has an egg hunt and basket making over the Easter weekend.

Vauxhall City Farm

Where: 165 Tyers Street, SE11 5HSCost: FREEWebsite:vauxhallcityfarm.orgWhat: Trevor the turkey, Fudge the guinea pig, Jemima the ferret and Waffle the goose are waiting to meet you at this farm near Vauxhall station. Easter events include crafts and a cuddle corner. Riding lessons are also available on ponies or horses.

Woodlands Farm

Where: 331 Shooters Hill, Welling, Kent, DA16 3RPCost: FREEWebsite:thewoodlandsfarmtrust.orgWhat: Did you know Shetland ponies can pull twice their own weight, or that Manx Loaghtan sheep can have four or even six horns? See these specimens and more at this city farm the size of 50 football fields.

Elisa moved to London a decade ago from San Francisco, where, in pre-children days, she was the managing editor at Sierra magazine. She lived in Brook Green, Notting Hill and Chiswick before settling in Northfields, where she lives with her book-loving daughter, architecture-loving son, and thickly moustachioed husband.